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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27049984">Shelter in the unusual storm</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whis/pseuds/Whis'>Whis</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>9-1-1 (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Books, F/F, Fluff, Gen, buck and hen friendship, giving books you love to the people you love to help them</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:55:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,769</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27049984</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whis/pseuds/Whis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Buck loves his books, he needs them, he has a special relationship with them, they have been his companions for all his life but now It's time to pass one of his favorites books to someone who needs it more</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Evan "Buck" Buckley &amp; Henrietta "Hen" Wilson, Henrietta "Hen" Wilson/Karen Wilson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>9-1-1 Tales</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Shelter in the unusual storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is the answer to two prompts I got on Tumblr</p>
<p>Prompt 1 Librarian + 127 by @adamngoodbuck<br/>Book: Cercle of the Liars by Jean-Claude Carriere<br/>Line: An unusual storm shook the earth</p>
<p>Prompt 2: Offer me by @seylaaurora</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>There are two things in this world that Buck loves almost as much as his family and his job.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Those things are his vinyl collection and his books. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Some of the pieces in those collections are invaluable. Not only because they are weird or hard to find, but because of what they mean to him, the history that connects those objects and Buck’s life</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He loves all the feelings and comfort that his music offer him</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn't live without the wisdom, fantasy, and escape the books give him</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And yet, from time to time, there is a moment when he realizes is time to say goodbye to some of them and pass them on to someone else, someone that will need that comfort escape, and wisdom coming from his vinyl and books</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That is how it started for him. A good friend in high school that gave a book to him with a line, telling him that he needed that book more than him</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That first book is different</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It is full of short tales, proverbs, poems, and saying, all of them coming from countries, cultures, and people. There is nothing linking these stories besides death and life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Buck is pretty sure he hasn’t read the whole book. It’s big, with hard leather covers and almost a thousand pages.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And yet the day Hen announces she wants to try to go to the Medicine School, Buck knows he has to give her that book. If anything else because of the doubts and self-loathing he hears in his friend’s voice and jokes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hen is a queen, confident and secure in her talents, and Buck thinks she is entitled to it because she is absolutely amazing. However, when she talks about being a doctor all her confidence seems to go out of the window. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Buck wants her to succeed and he knows she will, but he wants her to know she will. if that makes any sense</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Decision made, Buck writes a letter for his friend and at the next shift, he leaves the book in her locker and waits</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Hen fins the book her first thought is that it’s an Anatomy book, probably a gift from Chim. Then she takes a look at it and she doesn’t know if she should feel offended or not</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The book is called “The Cercle of the Liars” and for a couple of seconds she thinks perhaps someone is trying to call her out or something</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She can’t investigate any further until the end of the shift. A very long, very hard, very awkward shift with a happy ending, which is how it usually goes in their jobs</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the time she discovers a letter and recognizes Buck’s sloppy and fast written he has left</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She knows it must be important for her friend. The kid hardly ever writes anything down and Hen hates the fact that is probably because he is afraid of being mocked. No for the first time she wonders about what that says about their relationship and his self-esteem</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She has the feeling this book, this moment, it’s special for Buck, so she keeps the book with her, ignores the questioning looks, and decides to read the letter when -and only when- she can give it her entire focus</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s not until she is at home, in bed, with her wife sleeping at her side, that she grabs the book, ready to read the letter</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She has the letter in her hands and is starting to read when she feels Karen moving at her side- She holds her breath, not wanting to wake up the other woman although she knows better than expect her wife to just roll over and keep sleeping if she knows that Hen is still awake at 3 am</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What is that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hen sighs. She is not sure what is that, and she is not sure Buck would want her to share it with someone else. But Karen sounds suspicious and she doesn’t want to make her more suspicious, the last time that happened it ended with her and Chim being drunk and stupid</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know, Buck left it in my locker”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And now Karen is completely awake and waiting for more information</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With another sight, Hen just opens up to her wife</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… Karen, I’m not sure he would like me to share this with you, or anyone else for that matter”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay,” her wife says with a small smile and Hen can't believe she thought Karen would be nothing but patient and understanding.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So Hen reads, and she smiles, laughs, and shears some tears because that letter, those words are beautiful.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“My Dear Friend:</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You must be wondering what is this. No, I’m not trying to call you a liar LOL</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Okay, bad joke</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t really explain what is this without explaining the story behind</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>This book is one of my most beloved books. And yes, I know how to read Henrietta ;)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t love it because it’s a great book. In fact, I’m pretty sure I haven’t read the whole thing, but there is a reason for that</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>This book was given to me by a friend, with her corresponding letter, very similar to this one, although I’m pretty sure my friend actually read the whole thing.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I tried but I would start it and get bored and stop reading. You know me, I get bored easily.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>That is actually a lie</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Believe it or not, I love reading.s</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>But this book is different. It has a lot of tales, one-shots, short stories, legends, and so on. Some are around 10 lines long, some others are around 3-page longs. The book has almost a thousand pages so you count. All the stories come from different countries, ages and people, all of them have different topics and I think the only thing they have in common is they are about death and life, as everything</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>So if you try to read the book from the beginning to the end, you might get a little bit bored</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Back to my story, I forgot the book, but I kept it with me because the person who gave it to me was very special and well, it was a present and a beautiful book. It really helped me with the girl and boys I was trying to bring to my bed</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>But then, one day I just had this thought... </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It came from nowhere</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I was lost. I had just given up the SEALS and I didn’t know what to do with my life. I don’t know why I got fixated on the book, but I did.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>And I don’t know why I opened the book randomly and read the first line that caught my attention</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I still remember the line </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>‘An unusual storm shook the earth’</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>For some reason, I felt related to it, probably because I had been feeling like walking in the middle of a storm for a while then. Wet, cold, unable to see where I was going, but I couldn’t stay where I was either because I was in the middle of a fucking storm and I didn’t have any shelter</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I was in the middle of the unusual storm that shook my world</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>So I read the story. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It wasn’t about being lost or anything like that. It was about a hunter, two birds, and a fire. To sum it up, the two birds ended up burning in a fire so they could feed the hunter and be good hosts.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, I know. It doesn’t seem linked, it’s crazy and it doesn’t sound too interesting, but it is, I promise, it’s a great story</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It doesn’t matter though. None of that matters</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What matters is that when I read that story I realized something. I wanted to be a firefighter</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Okay, I know what you are thinking, that is bullshit</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You are right</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s not like I read that story and thought “I want to be a firefighter so I can save all the birds in the world”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The story simply reminded me that I always wanted to be a firefighter when I was a kid. My father is a firefighter, my grandfather was one and I wanted to be like them, but somehow I lost that dream among so many others. It’s what happens when you grow up, we forget things like how cool is to run under the rain instead of staying home, that is okay to climb trees just because we want to and we should eat too many candies on Halloween</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>That book, that story reminded me of that one old dream, and here I am now, a firefighter.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Since that day, whenever I’m lost, whenever I feel like I’m in the middle of a storm without shelter, I open this book randomly and read whatever story I got.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It doesn’t always work. Sometimes the story doesn’t inspire me, sometimes they aren’t even entertaining or enjoyable. Some of those stories don’t make any sense on Monday but they are the answer to all my pleads on Friday. It’s how it goes</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The thing is, that without that book I would be lost. Or I would be a bartender in Russia. Who knows</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Instead of that, I remembered what I wanted and I made my dreams come true. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I owe so much to this book and it has given me so many things, but I think I’m done with it, it’s time for me to pass it on so it helps someone else</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>So Hen, whenever you feel the need of finding a metaphorical shelter open this book aimless and wait to see what it has to say because I think it’s time for you to make your dreams come true </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Love you</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Buck”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hen ends reading the letter and looks at Karen, and she doesn’t know what to expect from her. She should know. She has this goofy smile and tears on her eyes and well, that is exactly how Hen feels. Goofy and emotional</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This man always surprises her</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both women stay there, in the bed and in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Hen is holding her wife in her arms, book abandoned at her side. The only noise around them are coming from the street and the sounds that any house does at night </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s comfortable and Hen feels herself getting lost in the moment</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Until Karen lays himself on Hen and with a happy smile whispers</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Would you read me something?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Hen opens the book and reads</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
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</p>
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